CocktailsandMovies.com Whaddya Got On Tap? – Week of 08/04/17

By Tim Barley, Mike Reyes, and Duwayne Tso

Prestige, Portals, and Parenting: who are you planning to spend your weekend with?

August has finally darkened our door, Mixers, and our days at the outdoor Tiki Bar are numbered. So it’s time to start looking for those last summer thrills, as we head back into school season, and indoor entertainment season as well. Thankfully, there’s still some theatrical offerings to help us make the jump, and there’s a couple interesting options open to us this weekend. Let’s see what’s heading our way, and what we’ll be spending our hard earned box office allowances on this week.

Three shiny new wide releases for this week, just waiting for the taking:

Official Synopsis: A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest RACE riots in United States history. The story is centred around the Algiers Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1967, during the racially charged 12th Street Riot. It involves the death of three black men and the brutal beatings of nine other people: seven black men and two white women.

CocktailsandMovies.com’s Take: Honestly, between this and Dunkirk, the Oscar race seems to have started early this week.

Official Synopsis: The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

CocktailsandMovies.com’s Take: Yeah, there’s a lot of bad buzz for this one. But when you’ve waited as long as fans have for a film like The Dark Tower to even exist, you kind of have to watch it at least once.

― C & M ―

Duwayne’s Pick: Detroit! The trailers for this movie have been great. It shows a lot of tense situations such as the riots, the situation at the Algiers, and the police interrogations just to name a few. There are a lot of scenes the evoke emotion and drama from just watching it. I like the fact that there are no super-big name actors, and they will let the script work it’s magic. Kathryn Bigelow is a great director and she will definitely be in the running for another Best Director Oscar this year!

Mike’s Pick: This is a rare weekend, where I’ve seen everything offered, so I’ll have to find something I’ve been meaning to catch up on. (Mayhaps Atomic Blonde.) The only film I can’t recommend is Kidnap, unless you’re going to a screening where you’re allowed to riff it mercilessly. But Detroit is your best bet for intense, albeit mixed approach, storytelling, and The Dark Tower is a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy. Just don’t expect a one-for-one retelling of The Gunslinger, and you’ll be fine.

Tim’s Pick: It’s a long weekend for me as I join Adam Carolla for some podcast help and take in movies I am behind in seeing, like Dunkirk, Atomic Blonde & The Dark Tower.

― C & M ―

The Weekend Top Five:

1. The Dark Tower – despite some less than stellar reviews, this should still work its way to the top
Estimated Weekend: $45 million

2. Detroit – going out on a limb, as it’s historical and a dark time in America, but people want to see this
Estimated Weekend: $25 million

3. Kidnap – this will surprise a lot of people, because it doesn’t look good but it’s got Halle Berry
Estimated Weekend: $17 million

4. Dunkirk – this will drop but will be reinvigorated when Oscar noms come out next year
Estimated Weekend: $12 million

5. Emoji Movie – can’t believe this is even a movie. America, what up!?!?!
Estimated Weekend: $8 million

― C & M ―

Think you can do better? Is there anything you’d like to see each Friday from our WGOT session? Restaurant reviews? Specials at your local theater or bar/restaurant? Maybe a cocktail suggestion or two? LET US KNOW AT INFO@COCKTAILSANDMOVIES.COM

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We’ll see you around over the weekend, but until then make sure to treat your films and your drinks with equal responsibility. Skip the bad movies, and know when to say “No” to that refill! Though calling an Uber or Lyft is always an option as well!